[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 138 (Tuesday, October 6, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H9654-H9659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSMAN HARRIS FAWELL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 7, 1997, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks in relationship to the honor we wish to pay to a remarkable
Member of the Congress and of our committee, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Fawell).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, before we honor the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Fawell), I just want to make sure that my good friend,
the gentleman from West Virginia understands that perhaps his committee
did not do everything he wanted to but he would sure be offended if he
were a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Just to
mention a few things that we have done, the Higher Education Act, the
Reading Excellence Act, the school nutrition bill, the vocational
technical education bill, quality Head Start bill, a charter school
bill, Individuals with Disability Education Act, prepaid college
tuition plan, job training reform, bilingual education reform,
emergency student loans, equitable child care resolution, juvenile
justice, just to mention a few. So do not paint us all with the same
brush. We have been hard at work.
It gives me great pleasure to have this special order this evening. I
have served with Harris on the Committee on Education and the Workforce
for 14 years, back when it was the Committee on Education and Labor. I
have always looked to Harris for his expertise and his enthusiasm on
labor issues to help me appreciate the finer points of labor law. As a
matter of fact, I would be willing to say there is not anyone on the
committee, with the exception of Harris, who truly understands labor
law, who truly has been made it a labor love to understand it, and to
try to improve it and try and get us into the 21st Century so we can
survive as a great Nation.
I also know that over those years, he may have been challenged many
times but he had always done his homework 100 percent better than
anyone else on the committee, and I think the only other person that I
can remember who really understood what they were talking about when
they talked about labor law was probably John Elernborn, who I served
with also.
In fact, Harris is so renowned in the House, among other things, for
his focus on the details and for his expertise in health care and
pension law. In fact, he speaks so lovingly about ERISA that I only
recently found out that his wife's name is actually Ruth. I thought it
was Erisa.
When he first came to the committee, we Republicans were in the
minority, and he always led the fight against any excesses proposed by
the other side on many issues. Because of differences in our seniority,
I never had the luxury of sitting next to him and see him take all of
those notes so that he was ready to fire back as soon as somebody made
a statement and they did not know what they were talking about, because
he knew what was in the law. He always did his homework prior to any
hearing or any markup, and then fought passionately in support of his
position on every issue, much to the exasperation of his adversaries.
I can remember one time when Chairman Ford became so exacerbated by
Harris' insistence on an issue that he finally said to Harris if he
would simply agree to drop his opposition to the amendment, Bill said
he would retire from Congress. Harris hesitated for a few seconds and
then he leaned into the microphone and simply said, ``Do not tempt
me.''
{time} 1715
And the room, of course, went up and laughter. The incident
demonstrates why Harris was such an effective member of the committee
and of the House as a whole. He always fought for what he thought was
right, never compromised his principles, and he still kept his sense of
humor.
In the 14 years that he has served under our committee, he has worked
tirelessly to better the lives of working Americans from his leadership
on health care to his efforts to improve productivity, safety, and
health in the workplace, and his overall philosophy that there should
be a level playing field between labor and management. He has been on
the front lines of all the major work force policy debates in the
Congress, and, Harris, we certainly are going to miss you.
Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Shimkus).
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, Harris has been a true friend and fellow
Illinoisan, and I will miss him.
There is some benefit to being a new Member of Congress, and that is
getting a chance to meet some of the great personalities of this
Republic. And I include Harris Fawell in that. A real ``Pork Buster''
before pork busting was cool. And as we have now a conservative
Congress that looks at saving money, he was in the trenches long before
many of us realized the importance of that fight.
But I am really here to read a statement from your staff, Harris,
that they have asked me to read. And it is a great honor for me to
carry this message from your staff to you in this opportunity. Envision
me as your staff. They are a little more efficient than I am.
``We count ourselves tremendously lucky to have worked for you. Your
kindness and humility, quiet leadership, the fact that you listen to us
and care what we say shows us each day what it means to be a true
public servant.
``In these cynical times, it is easy for staffers to become
disillusioned with government service. Working with you has shown us
how an honest and caring man of integrity can still make a difference
here in Washington. Our time spent with you has maintained our faith in
leadership. You have forever
[[Page H9655]]
influenced our understanding of policy with your dedication to thorough
analysis and your commitment to knowing what is right, or as you
sometimes put it, `20th century stuff.' We watch you earnestly and
tirelessly advocating for these things.
``You inspire us to think harder, care more about each policy or
person we come in contact with. We feel lucky that we have been
included in the Fawell family, privy to your oatmeal recipe, popcorn
lunches with stories about growing up as a ``Fighting Fawell,'' Ruth's
snickerdoodle cookies, and late-night show tunes and quotes from
Broadway plays.
``Among us we do not know anyone who has worked for you, or works for
you, who would not do anything for you. Harris, they say that the ship
reflects the captain. We count ourselves lucky to have been on the
Fawell ship. We can only hope that we have been a reflection of you and
that we will be, even as you sail on other seas.''
I think that is a great tribute, Harris, and I appreciate the
opportunity to convey those messages from your staff.
Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Chicago (Mr.
Davis).
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) for yielding me this time and giving
me this opportunity to share some comments about my colleague. I rise
today to pay tribute to the distinguished gentleman and my colleague
from the 13th District in Illinois, Congressman Harris Fawell.
Congressman Fawell has represented the 13th District and the
constituents of that district since 1984. He has been a lifelong
resident of Illinois and attended law school in my district in Chicago
at Chicago's Kent College of Law. Therefore, we claim some
representation for his success and for all that he has been able to do.
Congressman Fawell has distinguished himself as an efficient,
effective, and professional legislator. He has served with distinction
on both the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the
Committee on Science. He leaves behind a legacy of committed service to
his constituents and to this Nation.
I believe that the tribute paid to him by the Members of his staff
represents the kind of esteem in which he is held.
The Illinois delegation will not be the same without Congressman
Fawell. We shall miss you and wish for you all the best.
Therefore, on behalf of all the residents of the Seventh
Congressional District, we salute you for your fine service and trust
that in retirement you will experience peace and contentment, that your
years of service serves you well, and that you so rightly deserve. Best
wishes and good luck.
Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I now yield to
another subcommittee chair, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Ballenger).
Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania
for allowing me to speak at this time. And as an individual who has
served with Harris, I guess I am 2 years short of his same tenure, and
we have been on this committee together for 12 years, as far as I am
concerned there was always one person I could count on.
He had one labor subcommittee, and I had the other labor
subcommittee, and when things got rough and the Democrats, since we
have been in control, had nothing else to do, so the whole right-hand
side was just full of people. But on our side, Harris and I were alone.
He was either in front, and I was standing there to second whatever he
did. We had the votes, but we just did not have the people, so we had
to work together on this thing.
I still remember, because I had joined his organization. He and the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) invented this idea of the Pork
Busters. And talk about an individual who does not mind getting bruised
and beat up. Anybody in those days when the Democrats had absolute
control of this body here and somebody standing up trying to cut the
budget, it did not make any difference how difficult it was, there
was no way that we as Pork Busters were going to accomplish our
purpose. And most of us had enough sense not to stand up and get beat
up the way some of us did, and Harris was one. He must have enjoyed
getting beat up, because in reality he would get up and fight and lose.
The next day he would get up and fight and lose.
I just have nothing but absolute admiration for somebody that will
stand up alone and try to reduce the budget that way.
I think the one thing that almost everybody has to admit, and anybody
in this whole organization, is a thing called ERISA. It is a type of
operation that protects large corporations that have plants all over
the United States, different areas, and it keeps people, they have the
same law, they have a Federal law that says if a company has a plant in
New Jersey and a plant in Massachusetts and a plant in California, they
all have the same law, Federal law, to affect their retirement and to
affect their insurance and so forth. And nobody in this body
understands that any better than Harris Fawell.
In fact, most of us that listen to this discussion that Harris will
sometimes have with his professionals do not even understand what he is
talking about. If my colleagues have ever thought of a lawyer speaking
insurance, those are two completely different languages, but he can do
them both at the same time and fool us all as to what it really means.
Our chairman of our committee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Goodling), mentioned a whole bunch of bills that had been passed
through this committee, and most all of the ones that were mentioned
were education bills. And I commend the gentleman, because our chairman
is a past educator. But Harris and I have been on the labor end of this
thing. And you cannot get them all passed, but some of the names that
he has come up with are just beautiful. Any artist would have said this
bill should have passed.
The first one I am looking at, ``Savings Are Vital to Everyone's
Retirement Act.'' Now, who in the world could possibly be against a
bill like that? Well, the Democrats were. There is another one, ``The
Sales Incentive Compensation Act.'' Now, there is nobody that would
recognize the free enterprise system existing in any better fashion
than that particular method. ``The Faculty Retirement Incentive Act.''
Harris was always full of incentives one way or another.
And I think the greatest one of all is the ``Paycheck Protection
Act.'' Now that one I would have gone down forever and ever if we could
have ever passed that. Most of these bills we actually got out of the
House, but somehow there is a body on the other side of the building
over here that has to have 60 votes to cut off a filibuster. And once
they do not have that 60 votes, a lot of Harris's bills and my bills
just never appear again.
But with beautiful names like the ``Working Family's Flexibility
Act,'' who could ever vote against something like that? That is a
fabulous idea. And the ``Team Act.'' Anybody that recognizes the way
this country operates must know that the ``Team Act'' is one of the
most important things that we could have passed, but we did not.
And I would like to add one more thing about Harris as the chairman
of our little subcommittee where I sat with him. For those people that
do not know the way we operate up here, there is a little machine in
front of the speaker. It has a red light, a green light, and a yellow
light, and speakers are limited to 5 minutes. When the green light is
on, your five minutes are working. The yellow light comes on, and you
are just about to get turned off. And the red light comes on, and you
are through, supposedly.
But Chairman Fawell always was kind enough to say that I think I have
overused my minute or so, maybe even 10 minutes or so, but he was
always willing to give the Democrats the same benefit. I thought it was
unbelievably kind of him, especially one day when I first got on the
committee and did not realize the way Harris operated.
He was sitting right next to me, and he made the motion that he would
be allowed to talk on the bill, and he talked, and his 5 minutes was
up, and I was going to come next. Harris said, ``Cass, will you let me
have a minute of your time?'' And being a very naive little freshman I
said, ``Sure, go ahead.'' And so Harris got the word, and he used up
every minute of my 5 minutes. I have never been so deeply hurt.
[[Page H9656]]
But anyhow, he is a wonderful guy. He is the most dependable, honest,
sincere individual I have ever known, and I cannot say anything good
enough for him, and I hate like the dickens to see him leave. Like I
told him always before when I had my hearing in my subcommittee, he was
there, and we could take care of each other. We would do the same thing
for each other. And now that he has run off and left me, I think my
choice of words earlier was ``I am dead meat now.'' When the time comes
around and the Democrats want to get me, I will not have that white-
haired gentleman there taking care of me.
Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, prior to my yielding to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Solomon), I wanted to say that I did not get down in time
to pay tribute to him, and I certainly want to do that. I certainly
have enjoyed my service with the Congressman from New York. I also
enjoy visiting his district, particularly Saratoga. And he has just
been a wonderful, fair chairman on the Committee on Rules.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon) at
this time.
Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those flattering
remarks. And, yes, I do represent the oldest racetrack in America and
the most beautiful. It is called Saratoga, New York, and my good friend
from Pennsylvania comes up there quite often, because he has a love of
horses the same as I do.
But he mentioned that I am retiring, and I guess the only time that I
have ever become upset with Harris Fawell is when I found out that he
was retiring as well. Because I had made up my decision a while ago and
I figured as long as he was here, there was going to be somebody on
this floor who thought like Jerry Solomon and who would look out for
the taxpayers of this Nation. That is really why I am here today to pay
tribute to him.
The greatest compliment we can give to any Member of this Congress is
when we walk on the floor and the vote is taking place and we look up
there and see how that Member voted. ``This Member'' being Harris
Fawell. You do not even have to look any further. You do not have to
find out what the bill is. All you have to do is vote exactly like him.
Mr. Speaker, he was not here more than 6 months when I realized that
I could walk on this floor, and we are all busy, and if Harris Fawell
was voting ``no'' on the bill, I did not have to have any other
information. I voted ``no,'' too. That is how much respect I have for
him and his philosophy.
I just cannot say enough for the man. He has been one of the
outstanding Members. I was doing an interview with one of his press the
other day, I do not know whether it has been in the paper yet or not,
and the reporter said, ``What best represents Harris Fawell?'' And I
said, ``Two words: Due diligence,'' because when Harris Fawell, either
in committee or on this floor, when he rose to speak, he knew what he
was talking about. He has done his homework. He never came on this
floor without being prepared, and that is a tribute to a great man.
So, Harris, my time is up, but I wanted to come down here and tell
you, I will not be here to miss you, but I will miss your being here to
represent the views of the people who are really concerned about the
spending that goes on in this Congress to make sure that it is done the
right way. And you certainly have done that, my friend, and I salute
you and wish you the best of luck.
{time} 1730
Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to another
subcommittee chair, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra).
Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and it
is good to be here to pay tribute to my colleague, the gentleman from
Illinois (Harris Fawell).
It was in 1993 that I came to Washington for the first time, and I
believe out of that class of 47 Republican freshmen I was the only one
that said my first choice for committees is to serve with the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) and with the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Fawell) on the Committee on Education and Labor. That was at a
time when we were looking for people to serve on that committee.
And I have never regretted that decision, because it has enabled me
to work on a couple of issues that I have a passion for, education and
labor, but it has also enabled me to work with, I think, some very good
people here in the House of Representatives, the chairman being one and
Mr. Fawell being the other.
But since Mr. Fawell is the one who has decided that he is going to
leave the rest of us here to fend for ourselves, I think now is the
time to express my appreciation to the gentleman from Illinois for the
work that he has done.
I came here new to the legislative process, new to the process of
understanding America's labor laws, understanding the spending habits
of this Congress, and Mr. Fawell has taken the time to take many of us
through that process, to outline for us what was good in Washington,
areas that maybe we ought to take a closer look at, and also being very
articulate in pointing out the things that were not right here in
Washington.
I want to give my colleagues a couple of areas where I think Harris
really helped us as new Members. Harris has been here for 14 years. We
thought in 1993, the class of 1993 and 1995, that we were the real
people that broke the mold; that we were going to be the ones that were
going to take us to a balanced budget, and I think, in many ways, we
helped do that. But to be able to get to that point, a foundation had
to be laid, and a foundation had to be laid by people in the 1980s and
early 1990s that highlighted the information and put out in public view
the information that said the American government is too big and it
spends too much and here are some examples.
Harris Fawell, through his efforts in Pork Busters, laid that
foundation. The rest of us were able to build off that foundation. It
was, what, just 6, 7 days ago that I think we reached the objective
that Harris has been fighting for for 14 years, where we closed our
books and we will have a surplus for the time since 1969. Harris Fawell
has been instrumental in making that happen.
Harris, you can leave with the knowledge that you have created a
foundation; that we have a surplus that will be somewhere in the
neighborhood of $70 to $80 billion. And we now need to build off the
work you have created to start paying down the debt, to start reforming
Social Security to make sure we can save it, and to start to reducing
taxes. But without the work that you did in the 1980s, we would not
have been able to move and tackle these issues now in the 1990s.
For the last 12 months I have had the opportunity to travel around
the country and take a look at reforming American labor laws; what
works and what does not work. At the same time, we could talk to Harris
Fawell and get much of that information, because Harris understands the
types of reforms that we need to make in America's labor law to make
sure that we are the most competitive country on the planet today. He
has been a champion.
He has championed not only some of the reforms that we have seen, but
some of the activities that were so important in the company that I
worked in in the private sector. I think the best example of that is
the TEAM Act. Harris has taken the lead in making sure that we pass
legislation that really unleashes the potential of every American
worker by allowing them to be more fully engaged in their workplace and
working together, and taking 1930s and 1940s era labor laws and saying
there is a new way to do it, there is a better way to do it, and this
is one of the things that we need to do.
So, Harris, you have been a champion on the TEAM Act and a number of
other labor reform issues that I hope that the next Congress can move
forward, and we can take the vision you have had and we can implement
those types of ideas to ensure that we will be competitive into the
next century.
No discussion about Harris Fawell would be complete without talking
about ERISA. This is the challenge that I believe the chairman feels,
that I feel, that I know the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Ballenger) feels, and that is who is going to take us through the world
of ERISA. We always knew that whenever there was a discussion on ERISA
and what the implications of a legislative or a policy
[[Page H9657]]
change would be, as our eyes might kind of glaze over and say we do not
quite understand all of this, we always knew that there was a person
that we could go to who knew the ins and outs of a very important and a
very complicated piece of legislation, but who could give us a very
clear, not necessarily always concise, but when we had a question, we
knew we could go to Harris and we knew we could get the right answer.
Now, the good thing here is I have had the opportunity to talk to
Harris and ask him how we are going to get through this, and Harris has
said he is going to be more than willing to come back and take us
through that mine field and make sure that we continue doing the right
thing, or at least we understand what we are doing.
But, Harris, you have been a wonderful colleague. You have taken the
time and energy necessary to take someone new through the process. You
have taken your time and energy to teach us what you have known. And I
hope that you have taught us well, I hope that I have learned well, so
that I can take this with me into future Congresses and we can continue
to carry forward much of the visions that you have had.
Thank you very much for your 14 years, and congratulations on some
great work here in the House of Representatives.
Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California
(Mr. Dreier), and I want to say to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Hoekstra), that I think he missed four words in his closing remarks,
``as a paid consultant'', I believe.
Mr. HOEKSTRA. He actually did not say that.
Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege for me to join in
this ``Farewell to Fawell.''
As we listen to some of the remarks that have been made, the
discussions that centered from the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Hoekstra) about issues like ERISA, and I know there has been a great
deal of discussion about higher education, I think I would like to move
slightly beyond the higher education area to say that Harris Fawell
played a key role in teaching me an awful lot, and one of the most
important things had to do with an issue called electrometallurgical
treatment of nuclear waste.
This whole issue of nuclear waste disposal is something that came to
my attention from some people that I was meeting with in California.
And late one night we had the chance, with Mr. Fawell calling me a half
dozen times to make sure that I came over to speak on behalf of a very
important amendment that dealt with the issue of electrometallurgical
treatment. I want to congratulate him for the tremendous persistence
that he has shown in dealing with these very, very important and
complex issues.
One of those issues that, frankly, got a great deal of attention,
something of which I am extraordinarily proud, is that Mr. Fawell and I
had the privilege a couple of years ago of both being categorized as
``super heroes'' by an organization known as Citizens Against
Government Waste. All it meant was that the two of us were working long
and hard to make sure that we would deal with the horrendous problem of
government waste. And it is one that continues to go on and on and on.
And that is why, as I heard earlier mentioned, Harris has been really
at the forefront of this issue, with an organization known as Pork
Busters, in trying to get rid of all of the waste in government.
That is why I am particularly saddened that Harris has decided to
leave, not only because he has been a great friend to so many of us,
but because he has really been in the vanguard of that issue of
focusing on particular areas where we are able to try and reduce the
size and scope of government and encourage individual initiative and
responsibility.
So I would like to say that even though Harris told us months and
months and months ago that he was going to be retiring, and many of us
were very saddened then, as we head towards the waning days of the
105th Congress, I think that we will recognize that the contributions
that Harris Fawell has made for the years that he has served here are
very, very great, and he will be sorely missed when the 106th Congress
convenes in January.
Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. Knollenberg), a distinguished member of the committee.
Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and
I am delighted to be here this evening to take part in this tribute to
Harris Fawell, who I serve with on the committee.
As the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) just mentioned, we
have commonality on the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, a
subcommittee that I enjoy very, very much and, in particular, I think I
enjoy it because of Harris Fawell.
Harris is someone that I am going to miss very much, his presence in
this body and on that committee, and, frankly, in the cloakroom or
wherever I might have caught him. Because along with his ability and
capacity to deal with subjects that are beyond the realm of most of us,
I say that honestly, he had a sense of humor that went well beyond that
and made him into, I think, a genuine friend of this entire body and
someone that we all looked up to.
I marveled at the comments of the gentleman from California (Mr.
Dreier) about the Pork Busters. I recall when I first came to Congress
that was one of the events I guess I looked forward to because, again,
it was Congressman Harris Fawell that led the way.
And, incidentally, even though he was against pork of all kinds,
sometimes there were those who suggested that corporate welfare was
something that he should be aware of. And Harris, in defense of honest
cases where corporate welfare was not corporate welfare just because
somebody said it was, he stood up, defended the right of some of these
programs to stay in existence because they were meaningful and they did
not fall into the trap of corporate welfare.
As my colleagues have already heard, Harris Fawell is the only
Member, I think of either the House or the Senate, who truly
understands ERISA. Some would wonder why anybody would tackle that
subject, but Harris Fawell did, and he does understand it and it shows
in his work. His leadership on this issue will be sorely missed in this
body.
When I think of Harris Fawell, I think of three words: I think of
thoughtfulness, of thoroughness and being considerate. And he is that
way with committee members, he is that way with the public, and he is
that way with everyone.
He has never been shy about tackling big issues while showing, as I
said, an interest in everything from ERISA, to Salting, and the
National Labor Relations Act. And I have to confess I do not know why
anybody would be interested in the National Labor Relations Act the way
Harris was, but he dug into it and literally assessed it, analyzed it,
and scrubbed it with his own opinion.
Harris Fawell is cordial to work with. He has been willing to listen,
and he has conducted himself in a very friendly manner throughout all
of his dealings with Members of Congress and with this body. Perhaps
most importantly he has demonstrated a deep knowledge of the issues
that have been before the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
It has been, for me, a true pleasure to serve under his leadership.
And his presence, as I have said, will be sorely missed in this body. I
wish Harris Fawell all the best in the future, and his family the best.
I presume that we have alluded to Ruth at some point along the way,
because he has a very lovely wife, and she, in her own right, is a
remarkable person. So to them and their family, whom I have had a
chance to meet just last week, I wish them the very, very best in the
future.
I suspect part of their future will be along Lake Michigan shore, my
home State. You have chosen a lovely spot to at least spend part of
your time. So to you, Harris Fawell, and your family, all the best.
{time} 1745
Mr. GOODLING. Harris, it is your time to fight back if you wish. I
would recognize the distinguished gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. FAWELL. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to say thank you very much to
my colleagues who came down this
[[Page H9658]]
evening to say some nice words. I do very much appreciate that. I will
admit that I shall miss Congress and all of you folks. It gets in your
blood and after 14 years you just cannot walk away from something like
that without having ambivalent emotions. The 14 years have been so very
rewarding as far as I am concerned, the people I have met here in
Congress. There is an old saying that everybody you meet every day of
your life is your teacher. We have here a teacher who is our chairman,
the gentleman from Pennsylvania, who certainly is as revered and
respected as any Member in this Congress, who has given so very much to
education, and labor, also, being the two subject matters of the
committee that he heads. But I can say that about all of the Members
who took some time to drop in here this evening, for instance. I have
learned from all of them a great deal.
You hope as you get along in life you will do that more. And when I
heard that letter from the staff, I have had as we all have over the
years a lot of different staff, mostly very young people who come in
and do not know a great deal about what is going on here in Washington,
but they learn very, very fast. I would say that I have learned there
from all these young people, and the committee staff of our Committee
on Education and the Workforce, and especially the staff that served in
the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations. I have had the
privilege of helping to hire some of them as they came along, brilliant
attorneys, top-flight people, people who basically have a credo in life
that my job is to serve and to help people, and then say thanks, too.
They are that kind of people. They are people that they do like that
ERISA statute, they do understand the arcane labor laws which have to
be understood to be able to speak about them and do the right thing for
the working people of America as well as for the small businesspeople
and the businesspeople in general in America. With all the staff I have
learned so very much. I think I had been to Washington twice in my life
before I came here. I remember flying in the first time and saying,
``Oh, there's the Capitol'' and so forth and so on. But I have learned
to actually love this city of Washington, D.C. Ruth and I have always
lived right in D.C. We found the neighborhoods where we have lived to
be peopled with just tremendous people that we have grown to like and
to love, and as I have said, all the young people who come and serve in
Congress.
My colleagues. My gosh, there are brilliant people in this Congress.
It is a wonder, on both sides of the aisle, you figure all the talented
people we have, why we do not have a better product. It is a case where
the parts do not add up to the total as they should. There is a lot of
political rancor at times that takes place, but I am just here to say
that this body is composed of men and women that are extremely
talented, they are backed up by staff that are a wonder, young people,
and when I see this and I see people coming to Washington, I can
remember a couple coming in just a couple of weeks ago, a mom and a dad
who looked very, very young to me, and little Samantha and her sister
Maria. Their eyes were just big. They loved this country, they were
just ecstatic about a tour that we arrange for our constituents, going
through the Capitol Building. I see so many people coming to Washington
and giving so much. The SAVER bill, for instance, a lot of people from
all over the country at their own cost, coming in to share their
expertise and their beliefs. I guess I could sum it up by saying 99.9
percent of the people in Washington, D.C. are tremendous people, are a
loving people who want to serve, who want to help. That even includes
the news media out there. They are breaking their backs really to try
to make sense about what all we do down here and so forth. To me, it is
14 years of a tremendous education. I never could have gotten it any
other way.
I came to Congress as an accident because I was on a group that was
to select John Erlenborn's successor and when we had two people fink
out on us, eventually the finger pointed to me, and I ran. I just want
to say thank you to all of you folks who have expressed these kind
words. I shall always remember my experience in the U.S. Congress,
which is winding down now to the very last days, theoretically not
until January 3rd of next year, but I will not be hanging around these
halls too much longer.
Thank you very, very much for being thoughtful enough to arrange
this, Mr. Goodling.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express good luck to our colleague,
the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Fawell, who is retiring from the House
at the end of this Congress. It has been my privilege to serve with Mr.
Fawell on the Committee on Education and the Workforce throughout Mr.
Fawell's congressional career. During that time we have more often
taken opposing points of view regarding legislation, particularly
legislation affecting the labor laws. However, our differences have
been political, never personal. Further, though our views may have
differed on most issues, those differences have not prevented us from
working together when we have been able to find common ground. When we
have found common ground, we have successfully enacted good
legislation.
In the last Congress, I joined with Mr. Fawell in support of
legislation to provide an exemption for police and fire departments
from the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. In this Congress, I
supported the efforts of Mr. Fawell, and the gentleman from New Jersey,
Mr. Payne, to enact the Saver Act. I also participated in the national
summit on retirement savings that the Saver Act created. I believe both
the first summit and the subsequent summits that will occur as a result
of enactment of the Saver Act will serve to better educate workers
regarding the importance of retirement savings. As a result, more
workers will have financially secure retirements.
I would also like to take this opportunity to commend Mr. Fawell for
his work on the Faculty Retirement Incentive Act. Recently enacted as
part of the Higher Education Act, this law permits certain voluntary
retirement incentive plans for college faculty. I was not initially a
supporter of this legislation. However, Mr. Fawell worked diligently to
address concerns raised by myself and others and the final product is
one in which we all, and especially Mr. Fawell, may be proud.
Mr. Fawell first came to Congress in 1985, following the retirement
of John Erlenborn. Mr. Erlenborn had a substantial reputation in this
body as both a leader for conservative positions on labor issues and
for his role in the enactment and subsequent development of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Many thought Mr. Erlenborn's
shoes would be difficult to fill. But let me say for the record that,
from my perspective, Harris, you fully filled the shoes of your
distinguished predecessor. I wish the best for you and your family in
the years ahead.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to those
honoring Congressman Harris Fawell.
Anyone who wants lower taxes, affordable health insurance, or
retirement security can thank Harris Fawell and consider themselves
fortunate that he has served in Congress for the past 14 years.
Dedication to public service has marked Harris' life. He was elected
to the Illinois State Senate at the age of 33, and he served in that
body for 14 years. He has built an impressive list of legislative
accomplishments since his election to Congress in 1984.
He has championed small businesses and advocated measures designed to
help workers obtain affordable health insurance. Recently, he served
with me on the House Working Group on Health Care Quality to develop
the Patient Protection Act, legislation that expands access to health
care and provides protections for people in managed care plans.
The Patient Protection Act includes Harris' Association Health Plan
proposal which allows small businesses to band together through
national trade associations to obtain affordable health insurance for
their employees. The Chicago Tribune called it ``the best piece'' of
the Patient Protection Act because it provides the best patient
protection of all--insurance.
Congress also enacted the Savings Are Vital to Everyone's Retirement
(SAVER) Act, legislation Harris introduced to educate Americans about
the importance of retirement savings. It created a successful National
Summit on Retirement Savings held in June.
I could go on and on about Harris' legislative accomplishments, but I
would like to close by reading from an opinion editorial written by a
congressional page I sponsored this summer, George Palaidis. He wrote:
``People don't run for Congress just for the paycheck. Members run
because they want to do something to help our country. Not too many
people in this Nation are willing to sacrifice a sometimes higher-
paying job and the normal routine of life for something they believe
in.''
Mr. Speaker, Congressman Harris Fawell exemplifies this ideal. He has
served his constituents, his state, and his country with honor,
integrity, and an abiding commitment to do what is best for this
Nation. I am proud to call him a colleague, and more important, a
friend.
Mr. GOODLING. There are many others, Harris, who wanted to
participate,
[[Page H9659]]
but you know the scheduling around here, as I do. Again, we thank you
for all you have given to the committee, to the Congress, to the
country, to your constituents and wish you the best, whether you are
with ERISA or whether you are with Ruth, I wish you the best both ways.
____________________